Tobias Sylvester
A Nigerian soldier of 145 Battalion in Damasak, Maiduguri, Borno State has cried out over alleged starvation and maltreatment by their commanding officer.
According to SaharaReporters, the soldier accused the commander, Lieutenant Colonel SA Ochalla, of starving him and his colleagues for four days straight without offering an explanation.
The soldier, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that the Nigerian Army is symbolic of the deep-seated corruption in the polity.
He said that although soldiers are fighting insurgents regardless of the situation, they are aggrieved as their two months’ cigarette allowance has not yet been paid.
“We the soldiers of 145 Battalion at Damasak, Maiduguri are dying of hunger. Our commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel SA Ochala, refused to feed us for four days now. He has also refused to give us our money for March and April cigarette allowance; the world should come to our aid.
“We haven’t seen water to drink since morning, plus we have not had food for four days now. We have to fight regardless because our life comes first even before food. We are still combating insurgents even in this condition.
“This is the Nigerian system for you, everything is so corrupt. But the corruption is more pronounced in the Nigerian Army. I have been in the Nigerian Army for more than five years now and I think I can tell you this. Imagine, we are on deployment into the bush and we have not been fed yet. Our commanding officer gave no explanation for this. He has not held any meeting with anyone regarding this issue. We are starving, please help us.”
A source told SaharaReporters that the soldier angrily dropped his rifle on Tuesday and quit the job due to the hardship faced by soldiers on the front.
He said, “Today, a soldier dropped his rifle and quit the job due to frustration plus the hardship we are facing here.”
KanyiDaily recalls that last week, some Nigerian soldiers protested on Thursday against the non-payment of allowances and poor equipment in Borno State.
